The FIOD arrested four suspects on Thursday who allegedly were involved in a large trade in counterfeit goods, money laundering and benefit fraud. One of the suspects in the case, according to the Algemeen Dagblad, is Michael van der Plas (40), the ex-husband of Samantha “Barbie” de Jong.
(image from archive)
The other suspects are a 25-year-old woman from The Hague, a 41-year-old man from The Hague and a 22-year-old man from Monster. Homes and business premises were searched in The Hague, Monster, Santpoort, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. In addition, administration, cash, a car and brand counterfeit goods were seized. Accounts on Instagram, where the brand counterfeit goods were offered, have also been seized. The accounts have been provided with banners by the FIOD and the Public Prosecution Service.
North Holland
The investigation is led by the Public Prosecution Service in North Holland. The FIOD is assisted by specialists from Customs to identify trademark counterfeiting. More arrests are not ruled out. The arrested suspects are in restrictions.
Trademarks are protected in the Netherlands and it is prohibited to copy branded articles and it is not allowed to trade in false branded articles.
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